


better than burn

by Feather (lalaietha)



Series: (even if i could) make a deal with god [your blue-eyed boys related short-fic] [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Catholic Guilt, Gen, Pre-Canon, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Teenager Bucky, Teenagers, making out in the custodial closet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:05:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2040153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalaietha/pseuds/Feather
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sister Mary Francis glares at him again. "As for <em>you</em> - " she starts, and then thins her lips at his bewildered innocent look.</p>
            </blockquote>





	better than burn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [celeloriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeloriel/gifts).



> This fic is part of [**this series**](http://archiveofourown.org/series/132585), which is for short-fic associated with my fic [**your blue-eyed boys**](http://archiveofourown.org/series/107477), because I needed somewhere to stash it. 
> 
> This was part of a series of vignettes featuring irritated women in Bucky and Steve's lives that hit me on the head one day. The Sister's speech is credited to celeloriel, to whom I dedicate the piece. :P

Bucky is really not in the mood to listen to another one of Father Greene's lectures. Scratch that: Bucky is _never_ in the mood to listen to Father Greene's anything. The sermons are dull, the homilies are dull and unbelievably hypocritical considering what Bucky knew he got up to when almost no one was looking and the lectures are dull, hypocritical and _fucking irritating_. And Steve's still sick which means Bucky's that much less in the mood for either listening to Father Greene's shit or wasting the time the man uses to say it in. 

If Katy were the other one getting the lecture, he'd've just left. Katy's more than equal to any glare the bastard sends her way. But it's Molly and Molly isn't, is already visibly drooping, so Bucky's not going to leave her to face the telling off alone. 

Instead, he works on shortening it by staring fixedly, not at Father Greene's eyes, but right at the space on his forehead just above his eyebrows, and letting his expression slide just out of dutiful attentiveness with a slice of boredom into fascinated speculation. The kind he uses just before he pins branches to fences with his knife. There's nothing to object to, but Father Greene's a coward on top of everything else and it makes him nervous. Every time he looks at Bucky directly instead of at the neckline of Molly's blouse Bucky swaps back to pure attention, but it throws the man off his stride. 

Eventually Father Greene shuts up, both Bucky and Molly murmur dutiful apologies and make their escape - only to run directly into Sister Mary Francis right outside the Father's office. Molly goes bright red; inwardly, Bucky groans. 

He likes Sister Mary Francis. He does. A lot. Fencing with her can actually be a lot of fun, even if he can't figure out why in Hell a lady as pretty as she is would be a nun. But now's just not the time, and he knows Molly's more or less in awe of her. 

He still turns on his best angelic expression as she folds her arms and says, " _Again_ , James?" She looks at Molly and her face shifts from flatly disapproving to a disappointed sigh in expression form. "Margaret Katharine Evans, I know your father will be worrying about you like mad if you aren't there by five o'clock, and if you run you'll just make time." The Sister scowls and adds, "So run!"

Shooting a frightened look at Bucky, Molly takes to her heels, clutching at her books. Bucky sighs, and then turns the angel back on as Sister Mary Francis glares at him again. "As for _you_ \- " she starts, and then thins her lips at his bewildered innocent look. 

"Yes, Sister?" he asks. With Sister Michael he might have added a startled blink, but that would be laying it on a bit thick for Sister Mary Francis. 

Her mouth stays in a narrow line and her fists go to her waist before she eventually says, "James Buchanan Barnes, the Apostle Paul said it was better to marry than to burn. He did _not_ say," she goes on, "but ought to have, that drenching yourself in kerosene and handing young women the matches is _not_ the option Our Lord would have preferred you take." 

Because he does like Sister Mary Francis, and because he'd like to get out of this damn building before sun-down, Bucky does _not_ say _only because they didn't have kerosene in ancient Rome, Sister_ ; because he doesn't want deeply concerned meetings between anyone to do with school and his parents, he never would say, _Our Lord can jump off a bridge as far as I'm concerned_. 

Instead, he says, "I absolutely hear what you say, Sister Mary Francis," in his most sincere voice, and makes his escape after she apparently can't think of anything to add.


End file.
